Children's Crusade
by wonderwall05
Summary: Ginny stood in the middle on the entrance hall wincing at the shattering pop that told her the wards were down. This was it. This was the final battle and the Aurors weren't coming.


Ginny stood in the middle on the entrance hall wincing at the shattering pop that told her the wards were down. The people behind her stirred some crying out in fear others cursing. They were too young for this.

"They're not coming are they," Ginny turned to see Lavender standing next to her mouth set in a hard line. Ginny wondered when the change had come over the girl but she understood it wasn't a question. The Aurors weren't coming.

They had more important battles to fight.

She let a hand rest on Lavender's shoulder before pulling away to once again resume her watch of the door. The ancient locking mechanism gave false sense of security for even though it was spelled there was no way it could stop the wave of people making their way up the sloping lawns of Hogwarts.

It was sad that it had come to this children fighting in wars, Ginny thought of the students massed behind her. She had given them the choice told them to flee to save themselves. None had gone, all had stayed. Down to the smallest first year to the biggest seventh and it tore her heart into pieces. She let out a sardonic laugh wondering if they knew they were all going to die because they could fight but they were no match for seasoned Death Eaters who had no qualms about killing.

It wouldn't matter that they were children.

Ginny started as she heard the pounding of spells of the doors and she turned her back to face her people. This was the final stand.

"Now is the time to fight." She said loudly and everyone quieted but she could hear some children sobbing in the back. "Fight for everything that we believe, to keep this school free of that scum, to avenge Dumbledore, and all those have died." She felt the fear choking her. "Know this we are alone. We can not count on anyone coming to save us and if it comes to it we will kill those people," She indicated the door as the pounding sounded louder, "Everyone remember the spell because you must use it. If it comes down to your live or theirs-" She was cut off by a resounding boom and she turned slowly, the door was gone demolished into a pile of rubble but an invisible barrier still held. "To your positions," She yelled and she heard the students running to the various parts of the school.

The Death Eater's caught sight of them and began to laugh the barrier didn't block that and the sound would have curdled milk. Ginny could feel the fear radiating off of the people behind her.

"This is when we stand or fall! Kill or be killed!" She shouted and the Death Eaters paused, she stood pointing her wand at the barrier waiting for it to fall. She felt the rustle of robes and she knew that behind her stood an army, and they would fight and kill.

The barrier broke and the Death Eaters advanced slowly and Ginny waited sure enough one of them stepped forward. The messenger.

"Fighting is useless surrender now and you will-"

"_Avada Kedavra!_" Ginny shouted cutting off his false promise and everyone watched as he dropped to the floor, dead. All hell broke loose. There was a chorus of "Protego" as the students sought to protect them self but Ginny was shouting the killing curse every which way and suddenly she heard someone join her.

"This is for my parents!" Neville screamed his eyes wild and he shouted the curse bringing down a Death Eater who was replaced by another. Soon other voices joined in and she saw the weak lights of green knock people down but it wasn't enough.

"You've got to remember! You've got to hate!" She screamed before she realized it and a shiver went through her body at her words. The next time she cast the curse she saw Bill lying in a hospital bed hanging between life and death. The Death Eater went down and didn't rise again.

The battle went on with flashes of spells and screams and cries of pain, nothing about it was beautiful or wonderful and Ginny felt as she deflected a curse that was the way it was supposed to be.

How long had they been fighting? Hours, seconds? It felt like forever yet no time at all. She was dead, she was alive. She was empty and she was full to bursting. War was contradictions at their finest. It was okay for us to kill, it was wrong for them kill. They were cruel, we were merciful. Her head spun because she realized she shouldn't be thinking this, she shouldn't be thinking at all.

She was back to back with Neville and Luna, they were surrounded. She could hear Neville muttering and Luna said clearly, "See you soon Mommy." Ginny wanted to cry at the injustice. 'They were fucking children for Merlin's sake!' She wanted to scream but she didn't feel much like a child anymore. A wave of laughter swept through the black robed men and women and an idea hit Ginny forcefully and she laughed as well.

She turned her head whispering into Neville's ear, "Apparate with Luna."

"What?" He said "You can't apparate in Hogwarts."

"The wards are down." She whispered her eyes sticking on the people surrounding her.

"But Ginny- you-"

"You know I haven't even learned yet. Take Luna the two of us will be too much for you." She said and she felt his sob.

"I'll- I'll stay I won't leave you." He said and she smiled bitterly.

"No apparate to some other place in the school if you must but get yourself out of here."

"Gin-"

"There's no time." She ground out trying to not let the tears spill out of her overflowing eyes. She felt the motion of his head which she knew to be a nod, there was a pop and they were gone. The Death Eaters shouted in surprise and anger. One of them stepped forward ripping of his mask and stepping towards her.

"Martyring yourself now Weasley?" Lucius Malfoy asked his face twisted into a sneer his blonde hair sticking to his sweat stained face.

"I wasn't planning to no." She said flashing him an evil smile before running and diving between a gap in the crowd. She rolled landing on her shoulder knocking the air out of her lungs she scrambled to her feet before they could react and she was sprinting towards the doors out onto the grounds. She heard the stampede of feet and the shouts of curse and she cast a shield hastily around herself, feeling it waver as the spells rebounded off it. She shouted the killing curse again and again and was rewarded with the sounds of screams as people fell. She was at the lake now and she spun casting another shield to see the group of people watching her. Ginny felt like a trapped animal her mind panicking and her heart going wild.

A spell hit her in the side knocking her down and she rolled over groaning in pain. A foot clad in a fine leather boot pressed down on her throat and she gagged trying to breath. She felt her head pressing into the mud and the cold revived her a bit. She opened her eyes to see Malfoy standing over her grinning happily. It was eerie how she noticed the sun rising over the distant mountains and how the warm breeze was signaling the arrival of spring. Ginny wrapped her hands around his foot and tried to push it away as the edges of her vision were blurring. Then for a moment he let up gazing down at her in that condescending way of his.

"Any last words?" he snarled at her before pressing his foot even harder against her neck

"Yeah," She labored to take in air her fingers grasping her wand tightly. "Fuck you." She murmured kicking up with her leg and hitting him in the crotch. His eyes rolled up into his head and she muttered the killing curse watching as the light left his eyes. She took cover behind his body as the Death Eaters shot curses at her. She heard a boom and she peeked over them to see a group of figures cutting their way through the crowd wand movements blurs as they performed curse after curse. She stood shakily rubbing her throat even as she yelled the killing curse.

When the motion died down she was greeted by the sight of Aurors and there was a blur as Ron came running towards her but she held up her hand limping slowly.

Their faces were masks of pity.

"Why the hell are we standing around there are more inside!" Ginny said taking in a lungful of air before sprinting up the hill. She reached the door to the Great Hall and she choked on her own tears. Bodies were strewn everywhere and she collapsed beside the nearest one. It was Michael his eyes were wide and innocent and she screamed in anger shaking his shoulders even as she knew he was dead. She slumped for a moment body caving in on itself, she felt people surrounding her too afraid to speak. She rose from the ground slowly her eyes glued to Michael's face before looking up at the destruction in the distance she heard the sounds of battles and she moved forward hobbling through the bodies and crying silently. She reached the stairs summoning an energy she hadn't known she possessed and took them two at time.

They had reached Gryffindor. How she knew this she would never figure out but she was sprinting following the familiar hallways watching as the portraits looked on their faces blank as they ran after her through scenes of love and happiness. As she rounded the corner she saw a roiling wave of blackness.

"_Avada Kedavra!" _She shouted taking down the nearest figure and as one they turned to her stopping their assault through the portrait hole. She crouched slightly wand at the ready and when the first curse was whispered she went forward wand whipping and leaving dead in its wake. Some would say after that she had gone mad for that moment but she knew she was sane. Too sane maybe. The Aurors joined in at that point and she was able to enter the portrait hole. She saw Neville and Luna fighting back to back, other people were paired up in such a manner, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, Slytherin and Gryffindor. House rivalries forgotten as they fought for all their lives. She jumped into the fray killing a Death Eater that was about to curse a fifth year girl and she moved to stand over her as she killed another.

As everyone filtered from hiding spots into the Great Hall there was the collective sound of sobbing. Ginny looked around at all the children that were forced to grow up and she sat down slowly her eyes going blank as she tried to push it all way. The pain, the grief, the fear, she wished she hadn't survived now.

None of it was worth living for.

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They were holding the memorial service for everyone who had died as Ginny walked up the hill. A beautiful cemetery had been built for which all the soldiers in the war had been buried, a statue much like that in the Ministry had been erected to show how humans and magical creatures alike had come together to fight the forces of evil. It was missing something important not one child was featured in it. Ginny walked through the grand doorway and into the Great Hall. Hogwarts had lost its twinkle, it didn't seem to be a house of magic anymore and Ginny remembered the scene that had greeted them at the end of the battle. Everything had been cleared away but black stains from magic marked the walls and floors. She walked forward slowly her footsteps measured and even as she reached the center she stooped placing a bundle of flowers on the ground. She stood letting her head drop and standing still.

They said Lavender had died in the first wave standing in front of the first years and bringing down Death Eaters until she was hit with the killing curse.

Michael had been waiting in ambush, keeping the way to the dungeons safe so the people who had escaped there would have time to enter the Slytherin common room.

Cho had gone down screaming for Cedric and brought many Death Eaters with her.

No first years remained. Even as the other students worked to keep them alive all were killed. It was slaughter.

"Maybe I shouldn't have been so convincing." She murmured tears dripping down her cheeks to land on the flowers. "Speeches of bravery and going down in battle," She laughed bitterly, "We were stupid to believe it meant something." She brushed away her tears angrily. There was some gesture she had to make for all the people she had gotten killed. Ginny backed away slightly her wand pointed at the ground.

"_Ricorderemo_," she murmured and there was a grating of stone as the patch of floor melted and rose. Ginny watched as it formed a crowd of children each wearing different house insignias; they all had their wand arms outstretched determination and fear etched onto their faces.

"We will remember the children who saved this school." She muttered watching as a stone plaque appeared with the words she had spoken engraved in them. Suddenly more and more plaques appeared and names were listed. She stepped closer and smiled slightly, Hogwarts had made its own contribution. Ginny stopped as her eyes ran over the plaques the names were listed but something else as well. She was shocked to see how every student had died was written with precision. Her eyes skimmed the list catching certain names

_Colin Creevey- distracting the Death Eaters away from a second year student_

_Parvati Patil- protecting her sister in the fifth corridor_

_Ginny Weasley- for saving the school_

Her eyebrows furrowed and she turned walking out of the school. As she reached the grounds she saw ten ministry Aurors approaching her.

"Miss. Weasley, hand over your wand and come quietly." One man said stepping forward with his hand outstretched. She smiled slightly shaking her head taking her wand from the folds in her robe and handing it over. She brought her wrists together holding them up as the man whispered a spell binding them together.

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"Ginerva Weasley you stand here today convicted of use of an Unforgivable. How do you plead?" The Minister questioned and she marveled at his likeness to a lion but there was no Gryffindor in that man. She remained silent refusing to speak for innocence refusing to plead guilty. Her eyes locked with his and she felt the lack of emotion.

"Stop-" She heard someone shout and she didn't need to look to know it was Ron struggling against Percy's arms; she turned to see Hermione huddled down and crying. "She saved Hogwarts! You can't do this!" He screamed and she closed her eyes willing herself not to cry. "Please she's my little sister, she's just a child." He yelled and she shook her head she would never be a child again. She felt his sobs in her heart and knowing that her mother was joining in she looked to see her cradling Ron's head against her chest. George's face rested in his hands and she watched his shoulders shake; Fred looked on white faced lips pinched into a thin line. Bill stood his muscles bunched in anger and she could see him holding himself back. Charlie's head rested against their dad's should , her dad who was looking at her and it was hard not to look away because his face was so broken and he was looking into her at what she had lost and would never get back.

It hurt so much more to see their pain.

"You are convicted," Scrimgeour said his tone allowing no interruption, "of three hundred and four counts of the Killing Curse." She didn't start at the count knowing that they had given her everyone else's kills as well. She didn't feel angry just a little vindicated, this is what she deserved because more than three hundred and four deaths were on her hands.

"I did it." She said quietly at first before standing tall and glaring at the man in front of her "I did it."

"Do you plead guilty?" He asked his face blank.

"Yes," She heard her mother begin to bawl and she winced. "Yes, I am guilty of it all."

"You are sentenced to death the only punishment worthy of what you have done." Scrimgeour said taking the granite ball and hitting it against the desk. The room filled with a resounding bell like sound and the guards came in to take her away. As she left the room she caught sight of Neville and winked at him.

She had made him promise not to speak, no matter what happened he was not to try and take the blame, he was not to convict himself. This was her redemption and no one deserved the blame but her.

"They did it for Hogwarts Ginny!" He shouted as she left the room, "They did it for themselves!"

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Ginny sat in her cell for weeks before the execution and every moment remembered the battle. How she could have done so many things different to save all those children. The day came and she was escorted weak and tired to the noose, she walked by her family reaching her hands out and drawing them towards her. Letting their sobs surround her as they gripped her tightly. Too soon she was pulled away and made to walk up the stairs to a platform. She stood still as they fitted the noose around her head, tightening it painfully causing the rough rope to cut into her throat.

She noticed the sun rising over the distant mountains and how the warm breeze was signaling the arrival of spring.

"Any last words?" Someone asked and Ginny looked past the crowd, past her grieving family, and past the sad faces of her friends.

"Yes." She said laboring to breathe as her airway was choked off by the tight noose. "I am sorry, not for those that I killed but for those I could not save." She closed her eyes as the ground opened beneath her.

Short drop and the heart stops.

_Vindicated  
I am selfish  
I am wrong_

_And I am flawed_

_So let me slip away  
_

A/N: I know this is long and I hope people will read it anyways, if not I might split it into two chapters. Reviews would be appreciated.

Your author,

Wonderwall


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